Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3 Review: Tall Drink of Water

Just when you thought the Dutton family couldn’t have any more trouble coming their way, Yellowstone raises the stakes once again. On Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 3, “Tall Drink of Water,” more than one person makes it their mission to go after the Duttons — specifically, Beth.

This episode begins, though, with another flashback of a young John Dutton and crew. It’s a lengthy flashback with the purpose of offering more context about the wolves, which is yet another obstacle the ranch is having to deal with now.

While the flashback serves its purpose just fine, I can’t help but think that Yellowstone relies on these a bit too often. This one feels particularly long when we could instead be focused more on the characters in the present. 

What’s going on in the present is, after all, a whole lot more interesting. 

Kayce and Monica are dealing with the loss of their baby, and it’s all very melancholy and somehow overdramatic, even considering the circumstances. 

These characters have been through way too much, and it almost feels like trauma for the sake of trauma. It’s also making these characters less interesting when it should be doing the opposite. 

I will say this: Monica’s breakdown is a visceral, realistic portrayal of grief if I’ve ever seen one. Seeing her fall to the floor screaming like that is gutwrenching, as is seeing the men holding Kayce back from intervening.

It is really powerful to see Kayce learning all that he is about Native American culture and participating in it so seriously.

He believes in that vision he had, and he’ll even see to it his son’s funeral is done the way it should be in terms of the ceremony. Learning those details makes for even richer storytelling, and it does offer some purpose for this trauma.

Not enough, but it’s something. Because it’s the final tragedy Kayce needed to see that he should give up his role as Livestock commissioner, further separating himself from his father.

That’s been the story for him all along — living a life different from the one his father was able to give. Losing a child pushes him to get away from all of that again. 

Meanwhile, Beth makes a trip to Salt Lake City that shows once again how genius and conniving she truly is. You don’t have to follow all of the specifics of these business moves to understand that she knows exactly what she’s doing.

She always has a plan, and she also knows how to get things done. Her attitude is everything, and in this case, it looks like she’s done major damage to Market Equities. 

Of course, that also puts yet another target on her back. I have to say, it’s satisfying to see Caroline Warner get that angry, knowing Beth has undermined her again.

Even though she’s being asked to head back to New York, it’s not over. She wants to let Sarah loose — and this woman has already been playing Jamie in a way that’s not totally clear yet.

Side note: Sarah Atwood is played by Dawn Olivieri, the same actress who plays the role of Claire Dutton on 1883.

If anything, Sarah is poised to be a formidable opponent for Beth. It’s also interesting that watching her go up against Jamie makes me root for Jamie in a way I’m not sure I have before. He’s so good at putting these people in their place, and he seems to have everything he needs.

But that’s clearly not the case — and let’s not forget both Sarah and Caroline have already noted that Jamie doesn’t seem thrilled by the fact that his father is now governor. 

Then the end of the episode hits the family with a new curveball.

It’s all fun and games at first. Beth comes home ready to celebrate after her trip, so she drags Rip and Carter over to the bunkhouse for Lloyd’s birthday party. 

The party is nothing out of the norm, and Beth somehow convinces them all to go to a bar in town. If you’ve ever learned anything about foreshadowing, everything these guys say next should be enough to know this won’t go well. 

But they all go anyway, with Rip being the most reluctant. (Telling Beth “no” sure is funny, isn’t it?)

For everything they say about fake cowboys and real cowboys getting into fights, it’s not the cowboys who wind up causing problems. It’s Beth having no patience for another woman hitting on her husband.

As violent as it is, it’s pretty enjoyable to see Beth crack a bottle over that woman’s head. 

That causes an all-out brawl, which is followed by a visit from the sheriff. Beth is in more trouble than she expected to be. Being arrested is an especially big problem now that her father is the governor. Worse than that, she’s clearly made another enemy.

Other thoughts:

• The way Rip deals with the authorities is so much fun to watch, especially with how well he keeps his cool.
• I’m curious to see what happens next with the casino. The protest on this episode is certainly interesting. 
• I really love Lloyd. These guys pick on him too much, and it’s too bad his birthday ends the way it does.

What did you think of this episode of Yellowstone? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Yellowstone airs Sundays at 9/8c on Paramount Network.

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